[ refurbishment ] From terror to triumph
Two of the designers associated with the re-opened Taj Palace, Mumbai, discuss their work
By Design Wilkes: The he landmark Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in attacked by terrorists in November 2008. The refurbished Coral Suite Mumbai, India, was commissioned by 107-year old building suffered extensive damage Indian industrialist Jamsedji Tata. The from a 60-hour siege that killed 166 people. An hotel,T a Grade 1 listed heritage building, com- international consortium of designers that in- bines eclectic influences in its building, Oriental, cluded Lissoni Associati, BAMO, DesignWilkes, Florentine and Moorish, quite like the cosmo- Rockwell Group Europe and James Park Associates politan character of Mumbai. The interiors show- spent more than 21 months and $38 million in a case contemporary Indian influences along with restoration effort that has brought the hotel back beautiful vaulted alabaster ceilings, onyx columns, to its former glory, perhaps even more magnificent hand-woven silk carpets, Belgian crystal chande- than before. The refurbishment effort also restored liers, a magnificent art collection built over 100 the art works that were damaged in the attacks. years and an eclectic collection of furniture. Kuala Lumpur-based interior designer Jeffrey The hotel was one of several Mumbai landmarks N October 2010 MIDDLE EAST INTERIORS | 43 [ refurbishment ]
Project details
Location: Mumbai, India
Originally opened: December 1903
Refurbishment started: November 2008
Completed: August, 2010
Estimated cost: $37.3 million
Owner and operator: Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, Tata Group
Consultants: Jeffrey Wilkes, Rockwell Group, Lissoni Associati and James Park Associates (JPA)
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Better than before: Wilkes worked on a major renovation of the prop- to make a pitch for the Tata Suite,” says Wilkes. Golden Dragon restaurant erty seven years ago, and refurbished a number of “The brief was simple. We were given an open (above), the Grand Luxury Room (left) and suites, the typical rooms, public areas, Masala Kraft, hand really. We wanted to reflect the name of Palace Lounge Crystal Room, Golden Dragon, Sea Lounge, the the suite somehow, but basically wanted to create (facing page) Ballroom, Harbour Bar, and Wasabi. lovely rooms that fit within the palace context. We “So when 26/11 hit, of course we were hit too,” also wanted them to be “happy” if they could, espe- he recalls. “I happened to be in Mumbai that day, cially after the tragedy.” but luckily was at the The Leela near the airport. I Having worked in India for years on a number sat there and watched the chaos unfold with tears of five-star properties, Wilkes and his team are in my eyes. Two weeks later I went to the site, we very familiar with what can be accomplished in offered our services in whatever way possible. We terms of craft. Each of the bathrooms has beauti- sent off drawings. We immediately redid a colour ful inlay marble detailing. Wilkes has used silver scheme for the Sea Lounge with our fee being do- and gold leafing details, Indian fabrics throughout, nated to the Taj Trust.” handtufted carpets, and custom furniture. After the shock, Taj then decided to take a slight- “We have even dug around the basement to ly different approach to reinvent the property. “We pull out a few treasures! We found an amazing were hired to freshen up the Golden Dragon, as brass lamp that we used in the Bella Vista Suite well as four suites. The Dolphin Suite which had found down in the cellar. The entrance to the Tata never been done before, as well as two new suites Suite is all carved white Makrana marble [from destroyed by fire, the newly relocated Bella Vista the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan] and Suite, The Maratha Suite and the Aquarius Suite. the floors throughout the main areas are also in During our presentations we were given the chance N
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Refurbished: Seagull Lounge (above), Palace white Makrana, all beautifully selected and almost Art continues to be a distinctive and significant Corridor (right) and the a crime to cover with carpet. We have carved fur- feature of the space, with oversized carved wood ballroom (top) niture, silver leafed headboards, jalis, mother-of- pieces at the entrance that define the room with pearl inlay and silver-clad chairs.” elegant appliqué elements. Madrid-based architecture and design firm, Just upstairs from the Harbour Bar is Chef Rockwell Group Europe, completed the rede- Morimoto’s Wasabi Restaurant, where guests are sign of two popular restaurants: Chef Morimoto’s transported into a ‘magic box’ of red lacquer that Wasabi restaurant and the historic Harbour Bar. The wraps all the way from the top of the staircase Harbour Bar’s rich history served as a point of de- through the restaurant. Traditional Japanese mo- parture for Rockwell Group Europe’s design inspi- tifs pervade the space, such as an installation of ration, with echoes of its Art Deco legacy seen in the drifting cherry blossoms behind the host stand, furniture and finishes. Since receiving the first liquor and crafted joinery on the restaurant walls. The license in India, the Harbour Bar has played host to focal points of activity are the freestanding sushi decades of high-powered meetings and gatherings. counter and teppanyaki kitchen defined by a large Its historical prestige is manifested in the centre bar, art piece by Indian artist Sadanand Shirke. The a solid carved piece of white marble that denotes the exquisite private dining room for which Wasabi potency of a bygone era but boasts a fresh new face is renowned now centres on a sculptural round for Mumbai’s new generation of movers and shak- table lit by an overscale custom fixture of ham- ers. The back bar is framed in cut glass and provides mered metal. an inviting light, warmth and glow. What is notable in the works by both design The renovation also uncovered two historic win- firms is that Indian art, crafts and indigenous dows overlooking the harbour, where Rockwell techniques have been used extensively. Wilkes says Group Europe installed a new raised seating area there is a wealth of craft alive and well in India and to juxtapose the vivacity of Apollo Bunder Road they always try to use it in all their projects, be they outside with the intimacy of a classic bar setting. contemporary or traditional. 46 | MIDDLE EAST INTERIORS October 2010 [ refurbishment ] Change agents: Rockwell Group Europe
DIEGO GRONDA, managing and creative direc- after we decided to restore an original window that tor, Rockwell Group Europe, discusses his design of had been covered in a past renovation. the iconic Harbour Bar and Wasabi by Morimoto, with SHALAKA PARADKAR How did you tackle this project, given its traumatic and emotional context? What did you base your What was the design brief given to your firm? design approach on? What was the extent and scope of your involve- The client made it clear that Taj wanted to look to ment in this project? the future. Particular care was taken to express the Wasabi: The private Rockwell Group Europe was asked to restore the N dining room Harbour Bar and Wasabi by Morimoto spaces to their original glory and splendour. To that end, we decided to completely renovate the spaces and reinterpret the design and theme to reflect the Taj’s tradition of providing outstanding culinary experiences. Harbour Bar was particularly challenging to de- sign due to the fact that it has a long and well-es- tablished history. It was the first restaurant or bar in India to receive a liquor license. For over 80 years, Harbour Bar has been the power room of Mumbai; most business deals in the city have been finalised there. Many generations of Mumbai residents and visitors have very different and strong memories of the bar. Part of our strategy to find innovative design that would address the various expectations of the Harbour Bar’s guests was to research the bar’s dif- ferent iterations from when it first opened in 1933 and celebrate the many design components that made its reputation. We also had a more pragmatic challenge. Prior to 26/11, Harbour Bar and Wasabi were connected by a steep spiral staircase, which was destroyed by the attacks. The client required a more comfortable staircase and a large elevator. In addition, Harbour Bar is a small and intimate space, so finding an ap- propriate design solution that incorporated these elements without compromising the intimacy of the space was an enormous challenge.
As this is a Grade 1 listed heritage building, what were some of the areas of concern for the interior design? The Heritage building designation only affected the parts of our design plan that involved the building’s façade. For example, special care had to be taken © Fram Petit
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project as the evolution of the two spaces, rather We made major design interventions in both Har- than a refurbishment or rebuild. The 26/11 attacks bour Bar and Wasabi by Morimoto. With the influenced the project in terms of timing. The cli- growth of the city and the increasing traffic on ent wanted Harbour Bar and Wasabi to have a re- Apollo Bunder road outside, the Harbour Bar’s birth in exactly one year after the attacks. I’m very view had been impeded by pedestrians and cars pleased to say that we were able to help accomplish parked outside. this dream. The level of involvement and profes- One of the most important changes that we made sionalism of the Taj team helped considerably to was raising the bar’s lounge area up two steps, creat- accomplish this goal. ing a platform from which guests can now have a The condition of the Harbour Bar and Wasabi real view to the harbor. We also incorporated new by Morimoto spaces was a significant challenge. windows into Harbour Bar. After doing research on Indi-genius: Art by Harbour Bar was severely damaged as a result of the original façade of the hotel, we found that the emerging Indian artists 26/11, so there was nothing left in that space but lower ground space that the bar occupies had series and Indian crafts are deployed extensively in rubble. Moreover, our client was determined to of windows, which were then blocked. We decided the restaurants, says rebuild Harbour Bar and Wasabi within one year, to reinstate these windows, allowing natural light Gronda (above) so we were confronted with an unusually tight into the bar and lounge. The bar location remained time frame. the same, but the entrance to the kitchen and the It was difficult on a personal level because we were wine cellar behind bar is brand new. working on the sites of such tragedy. So many of In addition, there is a high level of craftsmanship the people we were working with in Mumbai were in the restaurant’s design elements that is the result still in the throes of their healing process. We really of extensive research of traditional Japanese crafts. admired the courage and strength of our colleagues For example, we researched wood joinery, which is and their enthusiasm for the renovation project. reflected in the wood paneling between the “but- terfly” locking systems. The wicker chairs were in- What were some of your significant design inter- spired by 19th century Japanese furniture. Also, the ventions? use of highly polished metals cladding the existing 48 | MIDDLE EAST INTERIORS October 2010 [ refurbishment ]
Firm profile Rockwell Group Europe builds upon the energy and eclecticism of the Rockwell Group’s main office in New York (founded more than 25 years ago by David Rockwell), and Diego Gronda’s extensive work in all five continents. Rockwell Group Europe focuses on designing hotels, restaurants, retail centres and spas. Current work includes a W Retreat & Spa in Vieques, Puerto Rico, W Paris-Opéra in France, a restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan, and a Le Méridien hotel in Oran, Algeria.
Classical: The new arches added additional airiness to the space. also re-imagined the restaurant as a “magic box” of Harbour Bar We also made significant changes to the arrival red lacquer that wraps all the way from the staircase and entrance layout for both spaces. Originally, the to the entrance of the restaurant. access to Harbour Bar was simple and narrow. We All patterns and motifs were selected from exist- defined a much bolder sense of arrival from the ho- ing ones in the Heritage building. tel lobby by increasing the size of the opening and Both spaces feature a significant amount of art. foyer. Guests used to access Wasabi through a spiral Most of the art was selected from the hotel’s ex- staircase in Harbour Bar. We felt that the staircase tensive Heritage collection. Harbour Bar has a well was understated, and that and the sense of arrival balanced combination of art works by Indian mas- and transition to Wasabi should be more dramatic ters such as Ganesh Haldi, Ram Kumar, Laxman and celebratory. To replace the spiral staircase, we Pai and G.R. Santhosh. In addition, we commis- installed a feature staircase – an “unfolding origami sioned two up-and-coming Indian artists to create red carpet” – which unfolds from Harbour Bar all large-scale pieces for Harbour Bar and Wasabi. the way up to Wasabi. Since the traffic on the origi- In Wasabi, Mumbai artist Sadanand reinterpreted nal staircase was very distracting in the original the city’s profile in an abstract and powerful art Harbour Bar space, we paid particular attention to piece. For the raised platform at Harbour Bar we screening the stair and elevator so not to cause any selected acclaimed new artist Rajesh Pullarwar to interference in the bar. create a modern and elegant piece that anchors the room. The combination of works from the 1950s Now that the hotel has reopened, which aspects are and 1960s with works by emerging artists provides you particularly proud about? guest with an alternative reading of contemporary For Wasabi, the private dining room was always art evolution in the past century. considered the jewel space of the restaurant. We Finally, the entire project was built and manu- created a more intimate environment by installing factured in India. We used local materials and em- a sculptural round table lit by an overscale custom ployed craftspeople from many different regions of lighting fixture made from hammered metal. We India ranging from Rajasthan to Tamil Nadu. October 2010 MIDDLE EAST INTERIORS | 49